Unfortunately I can’t say this book is for me. I started reading the ebook and couldn’t get into the children’s talk so I put it down to come back to later. I then was able to listen on audio and I did get a little more into the book. I did enjoy the creepiness of the book but I really struggled with relating to the characters and seeing it from their POV. Overall I think I would enjoy the authors work from a different plot or POV but I can’t say I really enjoyed this book. I do have horror friends who loved it though! So I know it’s just my personal preference.

This is great, it just isn't for me. Has this author ever been around a child? Has he ever been a child? Adults do not usually talk to kids this way. It felt inauthentic, maybe like AI wrote it. I am not sure. It just didn't feel real or relatable to me.

I don’t get scared often when it comes to reading horror books. This one absolutely terrified me. There was so much dread in this one and it was such a dark read. My favorite part had to be the pov of the child. It was a little slow at times and the ending had me in for a loop. I rated it 3.75/5 because of that!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. woah this was spooky and borderline terrifying. the author's decision of having the viewpoint from a child was the part that really made it excellent, you don't know if a child is a reliable narrator or not. however, it is kind of twisted for a child to have to know whats going on at all.

I literally read this in 24 hours! I really enjoyed the writing and I thought the fact that it was in a child's point-of-view was unique and genius. I think Bela deserved so much better than what she was dealt. I felt like her parents weren't great and I just wanted to shake both of them. I really enjoyed the concept of this read and will be picking up more from this author!

This one scared me. Creeped me out and not sure if it’s because I have little ones or what but absolutely don’t read it at night. I swear I heard my floor creek and my soul almost left my body.

I definitely recommend reading this now or spooky season, it will leave you feeling some type of way. And that ending, ugh! Reminded me of the movie Paranormal Activity.📚

Incidents Around the House is a CHILLING paranormal horror, and it had me hiding underneath the covers! I don't recommend reading this at night, or if you're alone a cabin in the woods. Or if you have small children... With imaginary friends.

This book left me questioning EVERYTHING.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this arc in return for my honest opinion.

Pub date: 25 June 2024

Thank you Netgalley and Del Ray for this ARC copy of Josh Malermans’, Incidents Around The House. The story being told in the point of view of a child made this more of an “uneasy/on edge” feeling throughout the read. I enjoyed the story throughout, however wanting more with the ending. This is my first read from this author, and I am looking forward to reading more of his work!

Not sure how I feel about the ending but was very creepy and a good start to the season where I’m drawn to these types of books.

This is, without a doubt, my favorite Malerman novel since Bird Box. This book excels in creating a deeply creepy and atmospheric experience that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Malerman’s storytelling shines through with its use of imaginary friends, a concept that adds an extra layer of eeriness. For me, imaginary friends have always held a certain unsettling quality, and Malerman harnesses that perfectly to amplify the tension throughout the novel. The slow build-up is particularly effective, gradually ramping up the creepiness and drawing readers into its haunting world.

Malerman excels in crafting well-written characters, and the portrayal of Bela is especially impressive. Accurately depicting children in fiction can be challenging, but Malerman manages to do so with nuance and authenticity, adding depth to the narrative.

Creepy 😭 this is why I won’t ever have kids, too many creepy things happen 😂 I really enjoyed this book and it sufficiently creeped me out. It kinda reminded me of the Grudge, and tbh that movie scared me when it first came out lol. Josh Malerman is becoming a great horror writer and I’m glad more people are being introduced to his writing. If you’re into horror movies, hauntings or being creeped out, give this book a shot! You won’t be disappointed!

The creepy goodness I've come to expect from Josh Malerman! Always happy to see new stories from him. Can't read this after dark!

I happily requested an ARC of Incidents Around the House after reading Bird Box. I love Josh Malerman's inventive plots and was extremely intrigued by the book's description. Needless to say, Incidents Around the House did not disappoint! I loved the setting, characters, overall plot and underlying domestic drama. I could not put Incidents Around the House down and am waiting anxiously for Malerman's next book!

“Can I go inside your heart?”

Eight year-old Bela has been seeing someone in her closet. Other Mommy comes out at night pretending to be her friend and asks if she can go inside her heart. Bela becomes so frightened that she tells her parents about her. When others begin to see Other Mommy too, the family attempts to outrun Other Mommy and make her disappear.

I became a Josh Malerman fan after reading Bird Box, which scared the living daylights out of me. Since that book, I have read or attempted to read his all of his other books. None of them are anywhere near the caliber of Bird Box. I was starting to wonder if it was a one-hit wonder for Malerman. Then I was given the opportunity to read Incidents Around the House. It seemed creepy and reviewers have been raving about this book as his next big hit. So, I listened to the audiobook while following along with the Ebook

My thoughts:

Disappointing. While it is atmospheric, scary, and creepy, Incidents Around the House felt like a remake of the 1980s hit movie Poltergeist with Bela as Carol Anne. While Poltergeist actually had a plot that I could follow and made sense, I never really figured out why the boogie mama was in the closet. The plot just fell apart for me in the end. I pride myself on being able to understand the psychology behind deeper meanings, but this one just wasn’t clear. It seems that Malerman enjoys creating open endings, but after reading almost 400 pages, I NEEDED to know why.

Stylistically, this book will not appeal to everyone. The story is told from the perspective of an eight year-old and short and repetitive sentences are used over and over. The audiobook reader sounds like Minnie Mouse (probably an adult’s voice recorded at a higher pitch) and is grating on the ears. I sped the audio up to 1.5X which really made the repetition stand out.

I’m still waiting for Malerman to write another stand out horror novel. This just wasn’t it.

3.5/5 stars rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for the ARC of IncidentsAround the House in exchange for an honest review.

Malerman nailed the ending, and much of the book was effective, but there were too many authorial quirks that did not earn what they asked of the reader -- e.g., Stephen King-style references to fictional towns and characters from other Malerman books; the screenplay-style format of the dialogue; and bizarre, repeated use (and I would say misuse) of the word *piqued.* Other flaws that stand out are a canine character that is introduced and described and completely forgotten about and unaccounted for, and the characterization of the parents, who are both intensely unlikable and for whom the books expects the reader to fully or partly find empathy. I continue to recommend the book to readers I know will like it, and have given feedback to support that assumption, but I personally found it lacking.

This book hooked me in from the start. I found myself wanting to drop everything so that I would spend my time reading this book to find out what happened next. I loved that the pov was that of the child - it made this book stand out from the crowd. I’ve read other people say they didn’t like the child narrator but personally it really worked for me. The story was tense and creepy and I didn’t know what was going to happen. Itowards the end I thought it was going to go one of two ways and I was right.

Really creepy thriller. Enjoyed it a lot.

Bela is a normal little girl, living with her mom and dad.

And someone she calls Other Mommy.

Other Mommy lives in Bella’s closet, but she’s started to come out more lately.

And she wants something from Bela.

***

I don’t want to say too much, because this is the first book to legitimately creep me out in so long.

The story’s told from Bela’s point of view, which adds a terrible simplicity to the situation. It makes it even scarier, to see everything from a child’s perspective.

But this horror extends beyond the unknown; Bela’s parents are also grappling with their own demons, which threaten to tear the family apart.

Bela is a sensitive, lonely child whose parents are desperate to help her, they just don’t know how.

This book had me looking over my shoulder and avoiding the dark. I loved it. I would recommend going into this book blind; don’t read too much about it. Just be ready for chills.

Thanks to @netgalley and @delreybooks for the eARC.

Check out this book if you want a good scare!

I just finished INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE by @joshmalerman last night and I cannot stop thinking about it!!! Admittedly late to the Malerman train, I think this is only my third of his but both this one and DAPHNE had me perspiring with anxiety and dread so I am in his camp to stay!

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and @delreybooks for the e-ARC!

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A brutally early coming of age story narrated by 5 year old Bella who has a secret friend named Other Mommy who lives in her closet. No one else can see other mommy until one day when her real mommy sees Other Mommy which starts a harrowing journey to determine what this entity actual is and what it's intentions are.

This book starts out playfully innocent and slowly swallows your soul with impending doom as the story goes on. As an anxietal human myself that simply LOVES to take on the anxieties of my environment, I would give Malerman an expert rating when it comes to imbuing that brutally dreadful helpless feeling while simultaneously punching you in the face with the feels. This book tore me apart not just with the scares but with the brutal honesty and vulnerability of the characters.

I can genuinely say that parts of this truly freaked me out. The last hour had me spiraling out of control and the last 20 minutes absolutely slayed me!!!!

Read this one if you dare. It is out on shelves now!!

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What are some of your favorite books tropes (any genre)?

I love creepy kids, haunted houses, isolated on a spaceship, and many more!

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#joshmalerman #incidentsaroundthehouse #delreybooks #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #bibliophile #booknerd #bookdragon #bookworm #bookreviewer #bookreview #horrorbooks #creepykids

I was looking forward to this one for quite a bit, but didn't seem to get to it until a few weeks after release. I was reading rave reviews in Facebook groups but unfortunately, this one just didn't seem to land for me. Admittedly, unknown entities is not my favorite sub genre of horror but a good story still has the opportunity to keep my attention. This book is about Bela who initially is friends with the "monster in the closet". As time goes on, it's apparent this monster, "other mommy", has an ulterior motive and she won't give up until she gets what she wants. Personally, I just felt like this could have been a novella at most.

WOW, this book was fantastic...
I was shocked at how creepy it was from a kid's perspective.
I think for me it was so creepy (and books don't usually creep me out but it gave me an unsettled feeling) was because it brought back my childhood fears and nightmares.
There was sooo much in this book and the crazy part at the beach with the family was insane BUT I can not really tell you too much bc it would give it all away.
oh and the ending that was not what I was expecting at all.
Not only did eight-year-old Bela have a 'darkness'/spirt (they are not too sure what it is) around her called Other Mommy but she had so much family issues that she was dealing with. We see it from her eyes which was fantastic.

This is def a book you are gonna want to read!!!!